


Page 823

by glitterbrain



Category: Beyond Good and Evil
Genre: F/M, PWP, no plot but lots of character study
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-24
Updated: 2018-03-24
Packaged: 2019-04-07 08:42:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14077146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glitterbrain/pseuds/glitterbrain
Summary: “Wh-What if we fail?” she says, her voice watery and weak and sounding weird to her own ears. “What if we’ve fought so hard and come so far and we’re too late?” She sighs, feeling heavy and sore and weary. All she wants is to go home to Pey’j and the kids, to go back to normalcy.Double H is quiet still, but he looks thoughtful, apparently trying to choose his words. Finally he sighs and says, “With all due respect, Miss Jade, that’s the stupidest thing you’ve ever said.”--On the way to the DomZ moonbase, Jade and Double H bond, talk about their unorthodox friendship, and make out a lot.





	Page 823

**Author's Note:**

> I was hungrily looking for some good Jade/Double H fics a few months ago but the fandom is so small there isn't much to read! And in particular, the only smut I've found has been weirdly sexually objectifying about Jade, which is not really My Cup of Tea.
> 
> So I... made what I wanted to see more of haha.
> 
> Jade and Double H have such a lovely relationship in the game, such a great, strong companionship that's not based on anything except supporting and being there for each other. Sooo here's some Jade and Double H bonding, and being awkward, and making out as equals and friends and companions, and getting to be human with each other.
> 
> <3

Jade pushes her foot down hard against the pedal of the hovercraft, gritting her teeth and fighting to keep it moving in a straight line despite it wanting to jerk to the side. Beside her Double H is babbling, a pep-talk she doesn’t hear, can’t hear over the blood and adrenaline pounding through her head and the roar of the hovercraft’s motor as she pushes it far past any sensible, safe limits.

The finish line is in sight, lit up like a Christmas tree and raining confetti. Beside and just behind them, so close they’re nearly touching, is Rufus’s hovercraft, gaining on them little by little and Jade pushes down hard, trying to eke out every bit of horsepower from the hovercraft’s engine.

“C’mon, Miss Jade! C’mon!” Double H shouts, almost vibrating in his seat with excitement and adrenaline; both their eyes are locked onto the finish line as it speeds closer and closer--

Rufus rams them and the hovercraft jerks to the side violently, and Jade swears out loud as she fights the steering column to keep it from spinning out. The whole cockpit rattles and Double H grabs her hand, trying to help her keep it straight, keep it going, they’re so close and Rufus is right next to them--

The finish line passes in a blur, one blink, one heartbeat -- even if Rufus had been close they were definitely first, and they both shout in victory, the crowd’s wild screaming blaring through the radio, drowning out the announcer who’s just trying to keep up. Jade is still cheering as she lets up on the gas and the hovercraft coasts. Beside her Double H cheers as well, pumping his fists in victory, completely caught up in the moment.

“Oh, we did it! We did it!!” he shouts, and Jade laughs at his enthusiasm before he turns on her, all smiles and excitement. “Ah, let me give you a kiss!”

He leans across his seat into hers and kisses her clumsily, and Jade tries to say something in response but it’s too late so she tries to catch up, tries to register what’s happening, her heart racing as he sets his big hands on her face and squishes her cheeks, pulls her closer, laughs against her mouth.

And then he pulls away and runs a hand through his hair, blushing but looking full of life and triumphant, and Jade just keeps laughing as she steers the hovercraft towards the main hall to collect their prize, high on the moment.

 

\----

 

Much later, the hovercraft is almost completely silent except for the sound of tinny reggae music coming through the speakers. Radio reception is crap here in the old slaughterhouses but still, it’s nice to have it playing to take the edge off; this place makes Jade’s skin crawl.

She docks the hovercraft and sighs. Double H is looking out the windshield with the eye of a soldier, scanning for hostiles or other dangers, and for a moment she just watches him; he looks tired, weary, but alert enough that she’s not worried about him. He’s tough -- even after a near-death experience and considerable sleep deprivation he’s still going strong, unwilling to stop any longer than necessary. She’s thankful to have him.

“I don’t like this place,” he says.

“Me neither,” she says, looking out the windshield. Everything here is so dark and dank and uncared-for, like no one has been through in decades.

“Well, whatever is waiting to be uncovered here is big, I can feel it. We’re close,” he says. She nods, and then yawns despite herself, rubbing her face. Double H turns towards her, looking concerned. “Are you going to be alright?”

She rubs her face again. “Yeah, I think so. Just feeling the lack of sleep, but once we get in there I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

“If you need to rest, we can spare a few minutes,” he says softly. “I don’t want to see you compromised or endangering yourself. Rest is important.”

“Really, I’m okay,” she says, waving her hands in front of her face with a little more flippancy than she feels. “Besides, I’m not the one who nearly died from a DomZ spore. Do  _ you  _ need rest?”

Double H laughs gently, pushing her hands down and looking not unlike a mother hen. “I’ve been trained to work through extreme circumstances, up to  _ and including _ death.”

“They expect you to work through death?” she asks, unsure if he’s messing with her or not -- though Double H has never really been casual enough to joke around with her as far as she knows, she can never be too sure.

“They do.”

“How?”

“Trade secret, unfortunately. Need to know basis.”

Jade laughs. He must be messing with her. “But you quote the rest of  _ Carlson & Peeters  _ all the time, this one thing is secret?”

“I do not quote them all the time,” he says defensively. Jade laughs more.

“Double H, you’re like a walking motivational calendar of  _ Carlson & Peeters  _ quotes,” she says, thumping him on the shoulder. He runs a hand through his hair, looking a little embarrassed.

“Ugh--they drill it into our brains so much during training. It’s habit, I guess,” he says.

“I don’t mind. I even have a favorite.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. ‘Don’t Break up The Team’,  _ Carlson & Peeters  _ page 822,” she says in her best imitation of him, to which he rolls his eyes with a self-conscious grin. “It’s a good one. Simple, to the point, and… especially relevant the past few days.”

“823,” he says.

“What?”

“It’s page 823, not 822.”

“Hey, one page off isn’t too bad,” she says. There’s a beat of silence; she stretches, pressing her hands into the small of her back and cracking her joints. “It’s weird to think just a couple hours ago we were becoming racing champs and winning pearls. Definitely been a weird few days, moodwise.”

She laughs, remembering it, and they look at each other. He quirks an eyebrow and half-smiles. “Not all bad, though,” he says. His features soften a little, and then he looks away, back out the windshield. Jade watches him. Remembering now, long after the thrill of the moment, she finds herself thinking about his kiss. He must be thinking about it, too, given the weird tenseness that settles between them. What had he been thinking? Was it adrenaline, congratulatory, an excuse to kiss her? She’s more curious than anything, though she had enjoyed it. Double H is not unattractive, and even if she’s only known him for a few days, being basically glued at the hip has brought them very close, and she thinks of him of him very much as a companion and friend.

“Miss Jade, I...” he begins, bringing her out of her thoughts. She looks at him; he’s not quite looking at her, one hand on the back of his neck. “About the, uh, kiss…”

Jade bites back a laugh, not wanting to interrupt his thought process. So he  _ was _ thinking about it; at least she’s not the only one.

“I didn’t mean to, ah… That is, I was… excited that we’d won, and I...” He huffs, scratching his face, trying to act casual, still not looking at her. For all his foolhardy bravery, this is what gets him nervous? Not that she’s judging; she’s always been open about her feelings with Pey’j and the kids at the lighthouse, but this is unfamiliar territory. “I stopped thinking clearly,” Double H continues, “I was just so caught up in the moment, and you looked so happy and-and pretty, and it was completely impulsive.” He finally looks at her, squaring his shoulders a bit. His ears are pink. “I apologize if I went too far.”

Jade grins despite her suddenly tense shoulders. “You didn’t go too far, Double H, it’s okay,” she says, and then for some reason, before she thinks to stop herself, adds, “You think I’m pretty?”

A beat of silence passes, and it’s horrible and awkward and even though it only lasts a second it feels like it lasts hours, just suspended in this awful moment. Jade winces, and this time it’s  _ her turn  _ to not look at  _ him _ .

“You  _ are _ pretty,” he says, lightheartedly. “Very pretty. A-And loyal, and kind, and brave, as well.”

Jade covers her face with her hand in embarrassment, her cheeks and ears burning. “Thanks,” she says without looking up, her voice coming out pitifully small and flat.

“Miss Jade, I…” He clears his throat, and she manages to look at him with one eye, through her fingers. He wrings his hands together, just a little bit, meeting her gaze. “I know the circumstances of our meeting were strange, and we haven’t known each other that long, but I… I’m glad I know you.” He swallows, smiling uncertainly. “You’re a good friend.”

Jade’s ears burn even hotter, and she looks away, towards the hovercraft’s hatch. Her heart feels light, fluttery, and despite the constant shadow of anxiety that has followed her since Pey’j’s abduction, a little flicker of warmth blooms in her stomach. “Thanks. You’re a good friend, too, Double H.”

Another beat of silence follows, not quite as awkward as last time, but still thick with tension, warm and tempting and hard to pull away from. And then Jade sighs and unlocks the hatch, pulling it up and open. Chilly, damp air rushes into the cockpit of the hovercraft, making her hair stand on end and kickstarting the adrenaline through her system. Double H exhales, hopping out of the hovercraft as Jade checks her camera. When she looks up, he has his hand extended towards her, still with that same uncertain but serious and resolute smile on his face.

“Ready?” he says. She grabs his hand and he pulls her onto the dock, and she closes the hovercraft’s hatch before turning to him, her heart pounding in anticipation. She nods.

“Ready.”

 

\----

 

The DomZ moon base is visible through the Beluga’s windshield even at an incredible distance, blinking green and red lights and big, clunky architecture that needles at the edges of Jade’s subconscious. These past days have been so puzzling, so troubling, to her personally; she knows, somehow, that this  _ involves _ her, but she’s not sure how or why, or what will happen when she finds out.

She locks the Beluga into its trajectory and leans back with a sigh. They have a couple of hours before planetfall and Jade feels restless. For the first time since this has all started, she can’t do anything but  _ wait,  _ and now, now that they’re racing to save Pey’j and the kids and countless Hillyan lives, waiting is the absolute last thing she wants to do.

She sighs again, pulls her headband off and rakes her nails through her hair, rubbing her temples.

“You should rest.” Double H’s voice startles her; he’d been so quiet for so long she wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d fallen asleep. She looks across the cockpit to the other seat. He’s watching her with a furrowed brow. He’d removed his breastplate and gloves once they’d gotten settled, giving himself a chance to rest and air out before they head back into the fray; even without them he still takes up a lot of space, and he has the sleeves of his thick cotton undershirt pushed up to reveal his forearms, well-muscled from heaving around that hammer all the time. She can’t complain.

She shakes her head. “I don’t think I can. Too antsy.” She stands up and stretches, looking out the windshield at the stars. There are so many, so many stars and distant planets, so much  _ potential _ , so much more than she ever imagined. Looking up at the sky from Hillys was one thing -- being in the middle of it, surrounded by it on all sides, is another feeling entirely.

She runs her hand through her hair and looks back, into the bridge. It’s small, but larger than the hovercraft, which is secured to the Beluga through some complex technological marvel Jade only partially understands. There’s an airlock in the back wall of the bridge that serves as a doorway to the hovercraft’s cockpit, a long hatch on the floor that opens up as an exit from the Beluga, and two narrow benches on either side of the hatch for sleeping, if need be; besides some minimal storage space, there is very little else on the bridge. Definitely not made for longterm trips, the Beluga.

“Are you okay?” Double H asks, sounding a bit cautious. She looks at him again.

“Nervous,” she says, pressing her hand over her chest to feel her own heartbeat, as if feeling it will calm it down somehow. “Tired…” She swallows, and her eyes burn for some reason, and she bites her cheek to stop the sensation. He’s still watching her closely; he must have seen, must have noticed her moment of weakness. He blinks, and she blinks too, her vision blurring, clenching her fists so tightly they hurt, her hands shaking as anxiety wells inside her. “I-I just want them to be okay. I want this to be over, Double H. And-And… And I feel gross because I haven’t showered in days, and I’m hungry for something other than KBups and Starkos, a-an-and I feel like I haven’t gotten to just sit down for more than ten minutes, and every muscle in my body is sore because sneaking around the Alpha Sections bases has been a nightmare, and I just keep thinking--I keep thinking--”

She swallows hard, swallows down the lump in her throat even as tears force themselves out of her eyes and down her cheeks. Frustrated and embarrassed, she rubs her cheeks and takes a breath, trying to steady her breathing and calm down. Double H just watches, stoic and sympathetic, waiting for her. Always waiting for her.

“Wh-What if we fail?” she says, her voice watery and weak and sounding weird to her own ears. “What if we’ve fought so hard and come so far and we’re too late?” She sighs, feeling heavy and sore and weary. All she wants is to go home to Pey’j and the kids, to go back to normalcy.

Double H is quiet still, but he looks thoughtful, apparently trying to choose his words. Finally he sighs and says, “With all due respect, Miss Jade, that’s the stupidest thing you’ve ever said.”

Jade bursts out laughing, first because it’s not at all what she’d been expecting him to say, and it’s so uncharacteristically dry and sarcastic that it takes her off guard, and then because she knows he’s trying to cheer her up, to reassure her, and she knows he really believes in them--in her.

“We’ve been right on their tails this whole time,” he continues. “I have every confidence we’re  _ still  _ right on their tails. We’re not out of this fight, not until we can’t get back up again.”

She sniffs, laughter or  _ something _ still bubbling in her chest. She wants to say something -- to thank him, or acknowledge his words, or return the sentiment -- but she can’t think of anything, can’t think around the weird, fond warmth that’s filling her head and chest.

“And…” He scratches his cheek, now covered in thick stubble from not shaving, and pulls a face. “I also feel gross. Hence, this.” He gestures to himself, and then to his armor, which is resting on the floor near the exit hatch. “And I’m also hungry and tired and sore, so… at least we’re in each other’s good company.”

She grins despite herself. “Thanks,” she says, even though she’s not really sure why or what she’s thanking him for. But it feels appropriate.

She sighs and rubs her neck, looking out the windshield at the moon and the stars, wincing at the stiffness of her muscles. The base only looks a little bit closer, still so far off, taunting her. She wishes she could will the Beluga to go faster, wishes she could just let everyone know that they’re on their way, they’re so close, so close to saving them and going back to Hillys and eating real food again, and sleep and showers and  _ home _ .

Double H clears his throat, a bit awkwardly, and when he speaks he sounds uncertain. “I, um… Forgive me if I’m being too forward, Miss Jade, but I… if you want, I might be able to help with your sore muscles.”

Jade looks at him sideways, suspecting that she knows what he means but not entirely sure, and more than a little interested. “Are you offering to rub my shoulders?” she asks. He makes an amusing noise, something like half a laugh and a scoff, his ears turning pink.

“Only if you’d like. I’m no professional but if your muscles are sore, I can try to help. It’s the least I can do in return for you saving my life and all.” His tone is light, as is his expression, though she suspects part of him must be serious, even if he himself doesn’t realize. She double-checks over the dashboard of the Beluga, making sure everything is as it should be, and then stands up, stretching.

“Alright, might as well. We’ve still got a ways to go,” she says. “Where do you want me?”

“Uh, right here is fine,” he says, scooting back on his chair and gesturing to it. “Then we can still keep an eye on the base.”

She sits down in front of him, between his knees, glancing at him over her shoulder. He looks a little less confident now that she’s so close to him; probably the Hillyan army doesn’t have shoulder rubs as a part of their training regimen. “Jacket on or off?” she says.

“Your preference,” he says.

Jade makes a face, glancing to the back of the bridge, to where his armor is laying. A good idea, she decides; she hasn’t changed her clothes in days, she might as well let her jacket air out for a little while. She pulls it off and stands up just long enough to drape it on the back of her chair before sitting down again, rolling her shoulders. Without her jacket on she’s just wearing her camisole, and the sudden lack of coverage brings into focus exactly  _ how _ gross her skin feels.

“Alright, ready,” she says, of half a mind to apologize in advance for how dirty she is; but he’s equally as dirty, so she ignores the urge.

She hears Double H swallow and almost grins, thankful he can’t see her face or else he might feel teased. He puts his hands on her shoulders and presses, and she closes her eyes, soaking up the feeling of the first real, intentional physical contact she’s had in days. Her muscles ache in protest as he pushes against them with the heels of his palms, almost painful even though he’s not applying much pressure. She’s been tense almost constantly these past few days, rarely getting a chance to rest and destress before having to throw herself into another Alpha Sections-ridden-hallway and pray her sneaking is up to snuff.

“Tell me if I’m being too hard,” he says quietly, bringing her out of her thoughts. She opens her eyes, looking out at the stars.

“I will.”

He presses his thumbs against her spine, pushing methodically as he descends her back as if he’s counting her vertebrae, and she almost shivers despite the warmth of his large hands. He goes back up, fingertips pressing into exhausted and overexerted muscles; when he reaches her shoulder blades he presses his knuckles into them, kneading down into her lats and lingering there for a moment. She sighs, watching the stars, trying not to look at the base. No sense obsessing, not now when she can’t do anything. She tries to stay in this moment, just enjoying the physicality, the companionship, the closeness.

Jade catches sight of her reflection in the windshield; it’s a little hard to see, but she can make out her own face, her own eyes framed by dark rings and her matted, messy hair, and her bruised and dirty shoulders and arms. Behind her, she can see Double H, looking deep in concentration as he watches her back, though even in the muddy reflection she can see the little furrow between his brows, tension in his shoulders, and pink in his cheeks. She exhales sharply to hide her laugh, and he pauses.

“Sorry, did that hurt?” he asks.

She shakes her head, grinning to herself, warmth creeping into her own cheeks now. “No, no. It feels really nice.”

He makes a quiet noise of affirmation and returns to his work, and they slip back into companionable (if somewhat tense, now) silence.

He moves his hands up, to her shoulders, splays his fingers over them, squeezing and then moving outwards and squeezing again, and repeating; he descends down her arms a bit, to her biceps, and his fingers come very close to brushing the sides of her breasts, the warmth of them so close it makes her tense up a little, makes her breath catch. And then he’s on the move again, up to the base of her neck, placing a thumb against the base of her skull, his other fingers curled so that he’s pressing the backs of them into the sides of her throat.

She sighs, lets her head dip a little bit, lets her eyes close, just focusing on his touch. Her nerves are still fluttering from his hands being so close to her chest, her thoughts attempting to skip down little rabbit-holes into hasty, sudden fantasies before she’s able to reel them in, and now his hands on her neck don’t help matters.

She imagines him sliding his arms around her front and pulling her back into him, being squeezed in his arms and pressed bodily against him--

She rolls her eyes, swallows.

Imagines one of his hands sneaking up to press flat against her chest, or under her shirt, imagines the warmth of his calloused palm squeezing her breast--

She shakes her head this time, squeezes her eyes shut, trying not to think. There are more important, less embarrassing things she needs to be worrying about, people to save, answers to find--

“Miss Jade?”

She almost jumps out of her skin, opening her eyes but not daring to look back at him. “What?” she asks, a little too quickly. She inwardly chides herself; she’s acting like a  _ teenager. Get a hold of yourself. _

“Are you alright? Did I hurt you?” he asks. “You were shaking your head.”

Jade laughs, trying to drain the tension out of her system. “Oh, no, I was just… thinking too much.” She sits up straight again, stretching, his hands still resting on her shoulders. “You can stop if you want.”

“I don’t mind,” he says immediately, before she has a chance to move away, and she can’t find it in herself to object or insist on stopping him. His fingers curl into her, gently, and when his hands move again, they’re different, barely applying pressure, his touch so light it almost tickles.

She looks out the windshield, at the base, still so far away, and then she looks at her reflection again -- or rather, at his, studying his face, his posture. His cheeks are pink again, or maybe they just never returned to normal, that uncertain little furrow still present between his brows. She stares at his eyes, which are looking at her back, trying to discern his thoughts.

Is she the only one?

Is this interest one-sided?

She thinks there must be interest on his side, too -- she’s caught him glancing at her when he thought she wasn’t looking, and he had called her pretty, and he had  _ kissed _ her even. She can’t be the only one, right? They haven’t known each other that long but they’ve spent very little time apart the past week, and she knows she can trust him with her life - because she has, inadvertently, and they’ve saved each other on more than one occasion. They know each other well, well enough that they’re staring into the jaws of death together, taking this terrifying plunge into the unknown together. In a very real way, he is her best friend.

She swallows, clenching her fists together. If things go wrong here at the base -- if the worst happens -- she has to know.

“Double H, can I… ask you something kind of weird?” she says, her voice more confident than she feels.

His hands slow to a stop, and she looks over her shoulder at him; he looks concerned but curious, and nods.

“Of course, Miss Jade.”

She purses her lips, trying to summon the courage. Funny how she can journey deep into the heart of an alien conspiracy without skipping a beat, but this rattles her confidence. “It’s not just me, right?” she asks.

His brows furrow. “I’m not sure I follow.”

“This… This--” she rolls her eyes and laughs nervously, “feeling.”

He’s starting to get it now, as clarity dawns in his eyes and his fingers unconsciously press into her. He doesn’t reply, though, looking thoughtful and a little embarrassed, like he’s trying to figure out how to reply.

Jade’s insides twist as he resumes massaging her muscles, absentmindedly squeezing her shoulder blades. “Am I misreading things?” she asks. “It’s not just me feeling this, is it?”

His cheeks flush and he swallows, smiling crookedly. “N-No, Miss Jade, you’re not misreading things,” he says, his voice quiet. “I do like you. I just didn’t want to overstep my bounds; we’re on a mission, and I… you don’t need any distractions.”

He squeezes her shoulders, and it feels different this time. His hands are shaking a little; so are hers. She lets head fall forward again, exhaling. He exhales too, his breath tickling her back and sending goosebumps down her arms. “I, um… I thought maybe after this is all over that I would tell you, when… we both had more time to think about it,” he says. “But that idea seems to be… inapplicable now.” He laughs, and she does too; it’s an awkward, nervous laughter, but it’s  _ their _ awkward, nervous laughter.

“It’s just… this whole week has been so crazy and all over the place,” she says. “And I know we haven’t known each other that long, but I--” her voice dies in her throat and she has to take a moment to resuscitate it, force it back into working order, “--I like you. And I’m really glad you’re here with me, because I can’t imagine doing this without you.”

His hands have stopped moving, just resting over her shoulder blades. Her skin tingles under his touch, her restlessness returning for a different reason now, the silence heavy in the air.

_ Say something. _

_ Say something. _

She turns and looks at him; he’s still trying to formulate a response, looking thoughtful. She can’t figure out if his slowness to respond to her is an actual trait of his or if its a side effect of the DomZ spore he’s still recovering from, but she hasn’t ever minded until this very moment.

He notices her watching him and blushes, scratching his face. “Ah--apologies. You said everything I wanted to say,” he says, “and I’m… trying to figure out how to respond with something other than, ‘same’.”

Jade laughs, and turns to face him fully. He looks uncertain, watching her closely as she pushes up onto her knees and draws closer to him, until they’re a handbreadth apart. She can feel the heat of his body, the warmth of his breath on her neck. He blinks.

“M-Miss Jade...”

She leans forward, gauging his reaction; he mirrors her movement, and they meet in the middle.

Jade closes the distance between them, pressing flush against him, and Double H’s hands find refuge on her back again, his touch soft but assured, holding her against him but not pulling her in deeper. Letting her call the shots.

She cups his face between her hands, running her thumbs over his stubbly cheeks, keeping him steady as they kiss. When he had kissed her in the hovercraft, it had been a quick, chaste kiss (and it feels like a lifetime ago, now); this is anything but. It’s clumsy, messy, all teeth and tongue and touch-starved, sleep-deprived desperation. They’re out in the middle of space surrounded by stars, holding on together as their lives get progressively more and more complicated, more and more out of control. In just a couple hours they’ll be back in it again, back into conspiracies and revolutions and too-high stakes -- but for now, for this moment, it’s just the two of them, safe and together.

Jade slides her hands around Double H’s shoulders, pulling herself closer to him. He makes an appreciative noise, and she laughs, breaking the kiss to rest her head in the crook of his neck. They’re both breathing a little heavier, their shared warmth too cozy to pull away from.

“That was nice,” she says, and this time he laughs, squeezing her a little tighter.

“Agreed,” he says, his voice cracking before he has a chance to clear his throat. For a moment they just sit there, cuddled together and enjoying the silence. Jade can feel Double H’s heart beating against her chest, and she wonders if he can feel hers as it thumps a little quicker than normal, a little harder.

He slides a hand up to her shoulder blade, one of his fingers slipping under the strap of her camisole and bra to stroke the skin underneath. Her muscles tense, and she knows he must feel it because he stops, his fingers retracting and leaving her skin burning. She moves, presses her lips against his neck, and he reflexively tilts his head to give her more space, taking a deep breath.

“You didn’t have to stop,” she says between kisses.

He makes a noise, somewhere between a laugh and a cough. “I-I just… don’t want to push your boundaries, Miss Jade,” he says, though even as he speaks his hand returns to its spot, snaking under her bra strap to her bare skin. He swallows hard as she scoffs, letting her head rest on his shoulder again.

“I appreciate it,” she says, fiddling with the collar of his shirt idly, “but I’d let you know if you were.”

He squeezes her, maybe without realizing it, dipping his head down a little. “M-Miss Jade… can I ask…” He swallows again. “I want to make sure we’re on the same page here.”

“I think we are.”

This gets her an actual laugh, albeit a slightly strained one. “I-I want to know what your expectations are. For this. Whatever’s happening right now.”

She shakes her head. “I don’t have any expectations, Double H,” she says, noting how his other fingers have slipped beneath her bra strap as well, and how he’s inching it towards the edge of her shoulder. Her skin absolutely burns in anticipation, her heart thumping so hard she’s sure he can feel it now. “You’re overthinking it.” She kisses his neck again, and he takes a slow breath, pushing her straps off her shoulder and letting his head drop low enough to kiss her there, gently, experimentally. She nuzzles him. “Why don’t we just see what happens? I’ll tell you to stop if I need to, but only if you’ll do the same.”

“I  _ very much doubt _ that will happen, Miss Jade,” he says against her shoulder, sounding amused. “To be entirely honest, I don’t want you to stop.” He squeezes her again, tighter and with intention this time, before kissing her again, leaving her skin tingling. “I don’t want you to ever stop.”

Jade grins. “That makes two of us, then.”

She readjusts herself, pushing herself up higher onto her knees, so that she has access to more of his neck, which she kisses, lazy and open-mouthed, as his hands roam the entirety of her back with a featherlight touch, making lovely little noises and gasps in response to her work. She slides a hand around his neck, down the collar of his shirt, to the bare skin of his back, and he shivers. His hands find her waist, resting there for a moment, before sliding back up and teasing the hem of her camisole, almost pulling it up or slipping underneath but not quite, making her heart skip a beat. She hums in appreciation.

“Here, hold on...” He lifts her off her knees, holding her up as he settles lower into his chair. “There. Now…” Still supporting her with one arm, he slides the other down her back, down over her waist and to her butt, and then to her thigh, all with that same gentle, intentional touch that sends little sparks through her. He reaches her knee and pulls it around his waist, and she follows suit with her other knee; when he lets her go she lands on his lap, straddling his hips.

He leans back against the chair, splays his hands flat against her back, and tilts his hips up into hers; they both sigh at the feeling, and then laugh. Now that he’s readjusted, she can sit and still be at the same height that she was, which she immediately takes full advantage of, pushing flush against him and kissing his neck again.

Jade pulls the collar of Double H’s shirt down so that she can get to his collarbone, which she kisses, and then nips at, traveling back up along the vein of his throat; he pushes back into the chair and rocks against her again, letting out a quiet groan of satisfaction that she returns. She reaches the spot just under his jaw, nipping and kissing, reveling in the sounds he makes, his fingers dug into her skin, his hips working against hers and sending her nerves into a frenzy, her stomach twisting with pleasure.

“Ah… Jade…” His voice is quiet, all his muscles tensed and trembling under her. Is this the first time he’s called her Jade? Just Jade? She can’t remember.

She laughs at that thought, and pushes away, giving them both a moment to catch their breaths. His face is flushed deep red, his already messy hair even messier. She wonders what she looks like, wonders if any of her makeup is even still around to be smeared or messed up, and if so, whether it’s smeared in a sexy way or an embarrassing way. He quirks an eyebrow at her.

“What?”

She pinches her lips together, setting her hands on his broad chest and feeling his heartbeat.

“I was just thinking…” She can’t quite look him in the eye, too embarrassed. “What’s your name? Your actual name?”

“Wh…” He pushes his hair out of his face, tension draining out of him. “I, uh… Well, it’s not nearly as nice as ‘Jade’.”

“That’s okay,” she says. “I just realized I only know you by Double H.”

“I’d rather you call me that, quite honestly.”

“C’monnn. I promise I won’t laugh.”

He huffs, then rolls his eyes. “Hubert.”

She can’t help the grin that creeps across her face, too wide to hide. Somehow it fits him. “Hubert. Okay. I’m calling you that from now on.”

He thumps his head back into the seat, pouting at her. “Please don’t.”

“Oh, no, it’s happening.” She leans forward, slowly, until she’s close enough to kiss him; he doesn’t kiss her back, still pouting. “Hubert.”

He huffs again, grabbing her hips as if to push her off before thinking better of it. “I’ll go back to calling you Miss Thyrus.” A beat, and then he groans in frustration. “No, that’s still way better than Hubert.”

She laughs, nuzzling his neck. “I’m joking. I’ll call you Double H if you want. Fits you.”

He wraps his arms around her; this time a few of his fingers make their way under the hem of her shirt. She follows suit, sliding her own hands down the back of his shirt, rolling her hips against his. This seems to get him back into the rhythm of things, both literally and figuratively, and his hands creep upwards, taking her shirt with them.

“Mei calls me Hub,” he says. “That’s okay, too.”

“Hub?” She thinks for a moment, back to when she’d brought him to the IRIS base, when he’d been infected by the domZ spore. It had been so chaotic and muddled she only remembers bits and pieces of it, but now that he’s mentioned it she remembers hearing Mei call him that. “I like that. That, or Double H.”

He sighs, sounding relieved, burying his face in her shoulder. His hands have reached her bra now, and he traces the bottom edge of it with his thumb, her camisole bunched up in his hands and leaving her back almost completely bare, tingling and tense. She slides her hands up his neck, into his hair, and arches backwards into his touch.

“You gonna get that or should I?” she asks.

He sort of splutters for a moment as he gets his bearings. “Well, I--No, allow me, please.” She can feel him fumble with the clasp for a second but he manages to get it, and she pushes away, pulling her shirt off over her head and throwing it onto the floor, followed by her bra.

He stares at her for a good five seconds before he realizes he’s doing it, and then shakes his head and runs a hand through his hair. Jade rolls her eyes fondly. “I-uh-I guess I should--” He pulls his own shirt off, throwing it onto the floor with hers.

She examines him; he’s pale, broad-chested with coarse dark hair that makes him look even paler. He’s got numerous bruises in a multitude of colors (a particularly dark purple one on his ribs makes her wince internally) and several old scars too, one of which she traces with a finger. He looks down and watches curiously.

“Got any stories to go with these?” she asks.

“Some,” he says, “most of them uninteresting. But a few good ones.”

“You’ll have to tell me sometime.” She slides her hands down his chest to his arms, which are settled around her waist, coaxing him into movement. He takes a long, measured breath; one hand stays on her hip, thumb brushing over the curve of her waist, while his other hand traces up her ribs, hesitating just a moment before making the jump to her chest. Jade closes her eyes and lets her head lull back a little.

“Miss Jade, you’re… very pretty,” Double H says, stroking his hand over her breast thoughtfully, gently; when she opens her eyes she finds him watching her. Studying her reactions. “Beautiful, actually,” he adds, sounding quite a bit less confident. Still, it makes Jade’s face and neck burn, makes her stomach flutter. She leans forward until her forehead rests against his shoulder, hunching her shoulders. He hugs her.

“You sweet-talker,” she says, bracing against him to push against his hips. He hums, hugs her a little tighter and matches the movement, rocking up against her, and she shivers at the feeling of his arousal pressing against the apex of her thighs, grinding so slow and deliberate it makes her whole body flush with warmth, and they both sigh as they drink the feeling in.

He pushes her away enough that he can get both his hands on her chest, squeezing her breasts as he rocks up against her again. She actually moans aloud at that, arching her back into his touch, letting her hands slide down his chest and stomach to the hem of his trousers. They’re pressed so close together that she can’t get any further than that, and is about to voice her complaint when he leans forward and closes his mouth around one of her breasts.

She grabs his head to avoid falling backwards at the sudden shift in balance, and he laughs against her, sliding his free arm around her waist to support her weight. Her thoughts turn muddy as he laves his tongue against her sensitive skin, focusing on her nipple, his mouth warm and wet and gentle, so gentle, like everything about him. She melts like warm ice-cream in his arms, relaxing and relenting and just  _ feeling _ .

“Double H--Hub.” She smiles as she says it, sliding a hand into his hair, pushing down against his hips in desperate need of friction against the ache between her legs. He makes a noise deep in his chest, his tongue and his free hand working over her breasts and sending electricity through all of her nerves, from head to toe, zeroing in on her core and twisting into a knot. “That feels  _ really good _ \--” Her voice jumps an octave, squeaks, breathy and just this side of a moan. His arm around her waist squeezes her close, pulls her down, flush against the hardened line of his dick, which she grinds against, and they both moan.

Double H’s mouth leaves her breast, though only to kiss the rest of her chest messily and clumsily, breathing hard. The hand not supporting her weight goes to her hip, fingers tracing the hem of her pants.

“M-Miss Jade--?”

“Yeah--”

They separate long enough to rid themselves of their last bits of clothing, which end up somewhere on the bridge floor. Jade nearly jumps back onto Double H’s lap, and they both laugh.

“This a good position for you?” she asks.

He makes a face, somewhere between embarrassed and indignant. “Do you really have to ask that?” he asks.

“I don’t  _ have  _ to,” she says, sitting on his thighs and letting her hands rest on his hips. “But I wanted to make sure.”

She lets one hand wander from his hip to his dick, sliding her fingers along the length of it. He’s hot and hard under her exploration, flushed all the way down. He lets out a strained sound, pushing back into the seat and grabbing her thighs a little too tightly. She continues unimpeded, wrapping her hand around him - he’s a little thicker than she’s used to but nothing she can’t handle - squeezing gently as she gives him an experimental tug, and he huffs, letting out a hard breath that turns into a nervous laugh. She looks up at him.

“Too much?” she asks.

“Maybe… for now,” he replies, his cheeks and chest flushed and blotchy and his hair still messed up from earlier. She grins and pushes onto her knees, drawing close to him and getting into a better position.

He swallows as she lowers down onto him, letting out a breath he had apparently been holding without realizing. It takes her a moment of twisting and readjusting to get comfortable, get used to how he stretches her, but he waits patiently until she gives the okay. His whole body shivers under her, arms sliding around her back; she in turn slides her arms around his shoulders, resting against him, rocking her hips to match his rhythm.

She leans against his chest, tilting her head to allow his lips better access to her neck. His hands knead into her back, into those same sore muscles he’d been massaging earlier. Their pace is unhurried but thick, heavy, tense, only as slow as it is because each of them is savoring every sensation, every hypersensitive nerve picking up the ghost of flesh-on-flesh. Jade’s skin tingles, fire in her stomach that flares a little hotter every time Double H rocks up into her, and goosebumps raise the hair on her arms when he kisses and licks at her neck, his voice and little sounds of contentment more of a rumble that reverberates through the both of them than an audible sound.

“Is this okay, Miss Jade?” he asks, and she can almost  _ hear _ the shy little grin in his voice. He bumps her cheek with his nose and she laughs, turning to kiss him.

“Yeah,” she says, slipping her hand between them to press her fingers against her clit, and that fire in her stomach roars to life, all the muscles in her body twitching and tensing in response, electricity racing through her veins. She sucks in a breath, trying not to let the moan that comes out of her sound  _ too _ undignified (Whether or not she succeeds is another story). “You?”

He lets out a somewhat goofy, nervous laugh, squeezing her tightly for a moment before letting up and picking up the pace a little. “No complaints.”

“Good.” She kisses him again, slides her free hand into his hair and rakes her nails against his scalp while his big hands roam the span of her back, up and down the dip of her spine before slipping to her front and squeezing her breasts, thumbing at her nipples. She moans, and he returns it, breaking their kiss to replace one of his hands with his mouth.

Jade swears, gasps, her muscles twitching, tensing hard. “Don’t stop-- Please don’t stop--”

He makes a noise, understanding, and squeezes her. His hips thump up against hers, rough, insistent, heat and tension coiling in her belly and legs as he licks her with a little more urgency, a little more intention. She traces frantic little circles around her clit in time with his rhythm, reveling in his tongue and fingers on her chest, listening to both of them moan and gasp freely. Her throat aches from panting, her chest from not panting  _ enough _ , the ache of her arousal spreading up into her hips, into her thighs and butt, all her muscles tensing--

She shudders hard and as she climaxes, muscles fluttering in release and all her limbs trembling, writhing in his arms and laughing and gasping and moaning. She rides it out as long as she can, chasing that heat, letting it flood through her senses like ocean waves, like rebounding frequencies that pulse through her over and over.

She’s still coming down when Double H pulls out of her and comes almost as hard, clinging to her so hard she can barely breathe, his face buried in the crook of her neck, his dick pressed between them; she can’t move enough to touch him, so she rocks her hips, her stomach, grinding against him as he rides it out and getting a rumbly, satisfied groan as he finishes.

She lets her body go slack in his arms then, resting her head on his shoulder, pulling her arm free so she can wrap both of them around his neck. They’re both breathing hard, hot and sweaty and gross and content, not in any hurry to part ways until necessity dictates it.

Jade is the first to pull away, carefully, bracing her hands against his chest. They both look down, surveying the damage, Double H with a little more bashfulness than her, as usual. There’s a good amount of come on both of their stomachs, more sticky than anything. Jade prods at it curiously as she twists to fetch one of the oil rags from under the dash.

“I think you might need to drink more water,” she says, not without affection. She retrieves the rag and wipes herself clean before handing it to him.

“Yeah, I’ll… get right on that.” He wipes himself off and drops the rag on the floor. Jade can’t help the smile on her face as he looks at her with some timidity and confusion, though as the post-sex high fades, the real world closes in again, and all her worries and doubts creep back into her head. She sighs. “What?” he asks.

“I just… wish we could stay like this,” she says, and he sets his hand on top of hers, thumb brushing over the back of her hand. “I wish we didn’t have to go back to reality.” She gives him another smile, but it’s more forced and she knows he must see right through it. He sighs too, leaning forward and cupping her face in his free hand, and she leans into his palm.

“We’re almost there, Jade.” He squeezes her hand, kissing her forehead. “I’ll be right beside you,” he says, and her heart thumps sentimental warmth through her body. She nods, takes a breath, and stands up, retrieving her clothes from the floor. He follows suit. It’s so hard to leave that bubble, to put her filthy clothes back on, to return to this mission and try not to think about how far the odds are stacked against them.

She stands behind the pilot’s chair and pulls her jacket back on, smoothing her hair back. Double H uses the clean side of the rag to wipe the other chair down and then settles into it again with a sigh. Jade stares out the windshield at the base, at the blinking lights and that angular architecture that lights up her subconscious; it seems like another life that things were so simple at the lighthouse with the kids, and part of her suspects this, too, will seem another life to her future self.

Somehow, this is going to change her.

She swallows, pulling her attention away from the base back to Double H, who is attempting to fix his hair in the reflection of the windshield. She flops down into the chair beside him, nestling into his side, and he laughs.

“This okay?” she asks lightly. “We’re still an hour out, I thought maybe I’d try to catch some shuteye.”

He wraps an arm around her back, settling lower into the chair and relaxing against her, too. “That sounds like an absolutely amazing idea, Miss Jade.”

**Author's Note:**

> Remember to use condoms, kids! Don't be like Jade and Double H here lol


End file.
